Update: Got it working. Instructions on modifying your bios to support an X2 chip are found here

It does post... and if you hibernated your WHS under a single core processor it will even run.... but when you reboot it hangs on acpitabl.dat

I popped the sempron back in and change the computer type to multiproc under the device manager rebooted a couple times and then switched back to the x2 chip... still hung at the same spot.

Then I tried reinstalling WHS with an actual install disk (as opposed to restore) and my sata dvdrom hooked into the backplane... the install disk BSOD'd with "***STOP: 5C (10B, 1, 0, 0)" which is an APCI/HAL issue...

I tried booting the solaris install disks (both latest builds of nevada & indiana) and they both didn't like something (though they weren't specific) ... I haven't tried knoppix or other 'nix based OSs with the X2.

So long story short system needs a bios update to get it running... I found a foxconn board with a similar components and even similar bios menu options... downloaded its bios and I intend to patch the MSS's bios with parts of that one... but before I risk bricking my MSS... I'm trying to get the bios chip desoldered and replace with a bios socket.... so I can pop out the chip and replace with a backup...

It's worth noting I'm trying this with a BE-2400... I know the current bios has some X2 & Turion chips mentioned in it so if you get the right X2 chip (maybe a 65watt 3800 or the like) it might take without any fuss.

Last edited by ymboc on Wed Sep 02, 2009 10:39 pm, edited 5 times in total.

It's not always the case but many motherboard/bios implementations don't allow going from a 90nm package to a 65 nm package. The original sempron was 90nm and you are trying the BE-2400 which is 65nm. The problem is not many low wattage 90nm packages. The Turion chips are all mobile S1 sockets. x2 90nm packages do have some 65 watt dual processors in AM2 sockets.

Then I tried reinstalling WHS with an actual install disk (as opposed to restore) and my sata dvdrom hooked into the backplane... the install disk BSOD'd with "***STOP: 5C (10B, 1, 0, 0)" which is an APCI/HAL issue...

Make sure you're loading the SiS RAID driver from a USB floppy. Also, some floppy drives like to BSOD during windows textmode install, I've had poor luck with Sony drives but good luck with Mitsumi, and I hear NEC works also.

Make sure you're loading the SiS RAID driver from a USB floppy. Also, some floppy drives like to BSOD during windows textmode install, I've had poor luck with Sony drives but good luck with Mitsumi, and I hear NEC works also.

If I remember correctly I didn't even get far enough to have the option of loading a driver... From what I've seen in the bios though, isn't the BIOS doing IDE emulation anyway?... don't know if I want to go buy a USB floppy drive... yet another piece of one-time-use hardware and I'm more than a little over budget on this 'project' already if you know what I mean.

@erail: Do you have a spare 90nm AM2 X2 kicking around to try with?... I've already bought into the 45Watt be-2400... I'm going to focus on getting that to run - issues I seem to be running into are mostly bios/software (vs hardware).

Load BIOS defaults if you've made any changes, you want to be in RAID mode instead of IDE mode. If you get the bluescreen prior to installation of WHS then it's likely your SATA optical drive, I'd suggest using a USB optical drive (in the bottom rear USB port). At the install point of WHS, it should say no HDDs are detected and prompt you to load a driver, I had to use a USB floppy to do this though loading off a USB key would likely work.

Load BIOS defaults if you've made any changes, you want to be in RAID mode instead of IDE mode. If you get the bluescreen prior to installation of WHS then it's likely your SATA optical drive, I'd suggest using a USB optical drive (in the bottom rear USB port). At the install point of WHS, it should say no HDDs are detected and prompt you to load a driver, I had to use a USB floppy to do this though loading off a USB key would likely work.

Erm.. I don't think I've changed anything in the bios... I was referring to the post screen identifying the drives as IDE channels... (see the images from my posts on page 12 in the CPU thread).. afaik booting in this IDE emulation mode will let you install windows without having to load the driver at installation... its worth noting that cakalapati's shots of the bios menus show 4 IDE channels with a master & slave each...

When I lookup the mentioned BSOD error code, all the references lead ACPI/HAL issues... same point where the current WHS install failed... which i think is all due to the X2 Be-2400 ("unknown CPU") I had installed when I did all this...

That said it would be worth repeating with just the sempron installed to confirm it wasn't the DVDRom Drive as you said. When I do I'll also confirm that I haven't change the controller mode from the defaults..

Ok, sorry, I wasn't clear on the fact that you had the X2 processor in the system still, and was merely trying to recall the steps I used to get WHS installed on a default MSS. Sounds like you are on the right track...

I'm sad to say... a USB floppy & DVDRW are on their way to me... chalk up another $100... sigh....

I went with a TEAC floppy and a LiteOn Slim External unit (fingers crossed).

Good News: Found someone to solder the BIOS IC socket for me.

So I'll be headed into uncharted bios modification waters soon...

Before you go the BIOS socket route see if you can boot the WHS install CD successfully with the new USB DVDRW drive. I have been reading up on the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). I wonder if having the proper HAL on the machine might be enough. The only way to change HAL is through OS install. As I understand it the HAL can't actually be changed through device manager. I think it would be worth trying to boot from the WHS CD and install WHS on a clean Hard drive to get an install with the proper HAL. You maybe able to skip that if you can boot from the WHS CD and get to a recovery console and copy the proper HAL files onto the machine from the CD but that may not save any time. The work you are doing is wonderful. I hope this helps in some small way.

Before you go the BIOS socket route see if you can boot the WHS install CD successfully with the new USB DVDRW drive. I have been reading up on the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). I wonder if having the proper HAL on the machine might be enough. The only way to change HAL is through OS install. As I understand it the HAL can't actually be changed through device manager. I think it would be worth trying to boot from the WHS CD and install WHS on a clean Hard drive to get an install with the proper HAL. You maybe able to skip that if you can boot from the WHS CD and get to a recovery console and copy the proper HAL files onto the machine from the CD but that may not save any time. The work you are doing is wonderful. I hope this helps in some small way.

As mentioned I have tried that and I couldn't even get that far without the install disc BSOD'ing on me. Besides the board is already out having work done on it:P

I was under the same impresson (from experience with NT)... but it seems the newer OS's are better... kjpublic01 mentioned on page 13 of the CPU thread that he simulated adding an extra CPU in Hyper-V without issue -- WHS changed the Computer Type in the device manager on its own!

Not sure of the wisdom of importing a donor ACPI table into the bios... I'm concerned that the current one contains the string necessary to keep WHS 'activated' / happy.... plus I'm not sure just how hardware specific the ACPI table is or what its actual role in the bios is... (more reading required).

Seems acpitabl.dat is the last file that shows up on the list in safemode before the GUI loads up.

Also under the x2 chip, winpe (on the on board flash drive) will not run. It gives the same BSOD the WHS installer CD does (shown below for reference) -- ie doing an inplace update / repair is unavailble.

Followup: Blindly replacing the acpitabl.bin in the bios with the donor got past the BSOD for WinPE... but had side-effects (WinPe was in 16 color mode). WHS still hung at the usual spot. So looks like the fix is in the acpitabl.bin but like anything won't be easy if possible at all

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